


Hunter X Detective

by Hezaia



Category: Hunter X Hunter, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Cameos by Hunter X Hunter characters, Gen, Hunter X Hunter Spoilers, POV Alternating, Post-Canon, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27895324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezaia/pseuds/Hezaia
Summary: “Hey, remember when we beat those damned cultists who had taken over the Gates of Judgement?”“It wasn’t that long ago.”And really, it wasn't their problem that the Spirit World had somehow managed to lose not just one but even a handful of their precious ancient relics that time when those fanatic cultist insurgents had taken over.Except now, they've been tasked with retrieving them, and to keep a low profile while doing it.In any case, the group's verdict is pretty unanimous.“Geez, this place sucks.”-Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama get sent to the Hunter x Hunter universe to retrieve some lost items.
Relationships: Hiei & Kurama | Minamino Shuuichi & Kuwabara Kazuma & Urameshi Yuusuke
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22
Collections: 2020 Yu Yu Hakusho Big Bang





	1. The 287th Hunter Exam

* * *

The Hunter Exam attracted all sorts of people – people of different ages, people of different abilities, people of different walks of life. The 287th Hunter Exam was no different in that regard.

More than a few examinees had already caught the eye of not just one but several examiners; first one group of promising younglings, and then another, which was a rarity indeed.

Generally speaking however, certain individuals had of course stood out from the very start. Granted, in a way, all of those that had managed to make their way to the assembly point could be classified as mildly extraordinary, considering the sheer number of hopefuls that failed to accomplish even that.

Even so, it was a given that at least a handful failed the first phase of the main exam, starting with the eighty-kilometre run. It was after all made to weed out the weak – the weak-bodied as well as the weak-minded. Because while a Hunter typically needed to possess some degree of physical fitness, having a strong mind was usually just as important, and oftentimes even more important than the physical aspect. Some degree of cleverness obviously played into it as well, of course. However, plenty of clever lads and lasses had certainly undertaken the exam over the years, and each year, only about a handful of them made it. Many did not, and while it was not really a proctor’s place to play favourites, it would certainly be unfortunate if that one particular group of bright-eyed lads were to fail. They certainly appeared to have some degree of potential after all, and it would certainly be interesting to witness that potential coming to fruition. Then again, failure was also a part of life, and so long as they survived, they could always try next year, or in the years following that.

And then there was the other group – younglings, certainly, but hardly inexperienced from the looks of it. They were definitely trained, and going by just how easily they coordinated their movements, they had definitely trained – and most likely also fought – together. The feel of them was a bit off, granted, but those abilities? Those were most certainly Nen – because what else could they be?

Well, except that short, black-haired, black-robed and rather moody one; that one had something more, something lurking. But that was largely irrelevant; proctors were there to supervise the examinees, not to ponder the backgrounds and abilities of the aforementioned. That said however−

“I can’t believe you fools dragged me into this,” hissed the black-robed one, face partially buried in his white scarf, evidently disgruntled by the situation at hand. “I swear I’m going to win the next tournament.”

Tournament? Ah, quite possibly Heavens Arena then. Because that could be qualified as a tournament, and no others really came to mind. Then again, there were also the underground tournaments to consider, no?

Perhaps this was a bet of some sort? How curious.

In any case, the matter was fairly certain: The quartet was most certainly first timers as far as the Hunter Exam went. Because even if they had undertaken the exam previously and failed – either on some technicality or otherwise – they were most certainly memorable enough to be remembered, had they ever taken part previously.

The other members of the group – because it was most certainly a group – displayed obvious amusement at their shortest member’s complaints.

“Well,” said one of them – a young, somewhat androgynous-looking man with bright scarlet red hair that reached just past his shoulders. “Out of us four, Hiei is the one best suited for this endeavour, after all.”

The shortest member of the party, presumably called Hiei, narrowed his eyes at that. Then he snorted, tense posture relaxing. However, it was obvious to the trained eye that the young man was still keeping a keen eye on their surroundings, ready to counter anything and anyone that dared threaten them. “So,” he then said, with a hint of amusement. “I am decidedly more useful than Kuwabara.”

Going by the indignant shout from the taller redhead, the latter was the individual known as Kuwabara.

“Hey!” he scoffed. “It’s not like you’re the only one who had better things to do, short stuff! I’d much rather be at home or hanging out with Yukina than−”

A hand edged closer to a sword – made in Jappon, judging by the style of it – while the tall redhead also looked ready to throw down. The shorter redhead seemed amused yet mildly exasperated all at once, reaching up as if to scratch his neck just as the fourth member of the group – most likely the leader – stepped in.

“Hey, hey, guys, guys, Kuwabara, Hiei, chill!” said the fourth – a young man with back-slicked black hair. “The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can go home, right?”

The bickering pair looked at him, then at each other and then turned their backs on one another. Judging by the reactions of the other two, this kind of event was nothing unusual.

“Yusuke’s right. Besides, even if it’s not ideal, it’s a change of scenery if nothing else, as well as a change of pace,” said the shorter redhead, likely the diplomat of the group.

“Oh, nice one, Kurama!” said the leader, most likely called Yusuke. “I mean, I’ve been doing pretty good business lately and all, but… feels nice to get to stretch my legs every once in a while. And to fight, just like back in the olden days!”

The taller redhead, Kuwabara, appeared to agree with this sentiment. Hiei meanwhile let out another scoff, but he did not seem to be all that averse to the whole fighting thing.

“Well, there’s that,” said Kurama, smiling in direction of the latter. “But there’s also souvenirs, right?”

Hiei’s eyes flickered to the young man and the line of his mouth curled into a smirk, like the other had just uttered some inside joke; hardly an impossibility, all things considered. But then this usually serious young man’s attention shifted elsewhere and landed on the proctor casually observing them. His eyes – red, such an unusual colour – narrowed dangerously.

Although not one to be easily intimidated, the proctor found it wise to avert their gaze and to focus their attention elsewhere. The young man had most likely noticed the scrutiny long before this though, and was only now displaying just what he felt about it.

This year’s crop of Hunter applicants; they were undeniably something to watch.

* * *

Hiei had obviously had better things to do than to act as some sort of errand boy for the Spirit World. Because really, how was it any of his damned business if the Spirit World had somehow managed to lose not just one but even a handful of their precious ancient relics that time when those fanatic cultist insurgents had taken over the Gates of Judgement? It wasn’t. It most definitely wasn’t.

He had served his so called ‘community service’ ages ago, and he had no interest in doing the Spirit World any additional favours.

“Hey,” said the redheaded buffoon. “Remember when we beat those damned cultists who had taken over the Gates of Judgement?”

“It wasn’t that long ago.” And it really wasn’t; not by Hiei’s standards at least. And, in his opinion, it had not been anywhere near long enough since that particular debacle. And, much like back then, he had not been able to refuse taking part in cleaning up the Spirit World’s messes, very much heightening the urgency of winning the Dark Tournament the next time it rolled around.

Hiei was a demon, and unlike certain other demons, he actually considered the Demon World his home. As such, he did not bother to keep much track of the happenings of the Human World; if anything particularly important occurred, then word usually reached him anyway. And, if he occasionally used his Jagan to check in on Yukina over in Sarayashiki, then that was really no one’s business but his own.

In any case, Hiei had far better things to do than to act as the Spirit World’s errand boy. Unfortunately, it appeared as though those fools governing the Spirit World were severely lacking in people possessing the kind of skillset that was apparently required for this mission. Another possibility was of course them having people with such a skillset, but not having the sense to relieve them of whatever duties they currently had and reassign them to deal with this.

Theoretically, it should have been a simple thing. With his Jagan and that buffoon’s Dimension Sword, retrieving the lost items should have been child’s play. He would get the location, and then the buffoon would slice open a dimensional rift and then they would grab the items and get out. It would have saved them a lot of time.

Unfortunately, this approach was only possible in theory. For some reason, either due to some interference of this new world or due to some inherent quality of the artefacts in question, these relics proved fairly difficult to pinpoint exactly. Hiei had managed to get a rudimentary read on two of them so far, but it was as though they flickered in and out of existence. Sometimes, he would sense them relatively clearly. Other times, they would just vanish, and trying to find them again was usually a meandering and headache-inducing task.

In addition to that, they had technically been given explicit instructions to – to an extent – avoid making overt use of their more extraordinary skills; to not draw unnecessary attention to themselves and whatnot, as if they did not already stand out like a sore thumb.

Naturally, Kurama had been the one to suggest that they take part in the Hunter Exam. Allegedly, one of them obtaining a Hunter licence would be useful, for various reasons. First, it would facilitate their access to not just information but locations as well; the artefacts Hiei had located so far were likely in the hands of mafioso, and people like that apparently liked to hire professional Hunters as bodyguards or to run their errands.

Not that they really intended to work for the mafia; they simply needed to get close enough to grab the items. And once they had those two items, then it would likely not be all that difficult to find the rest; while tricky enough to locate on their own, it was not unreasonable to assume that they would call out to one another. Powerful item of some age and consequence typically gained some degree of sentience at some point after all.

And so, Hiei had argued that they – using the approximate location that Hiei had oh-so-helpfully provided – would make an attempt at the quicker and far less elaborate route. But alas, he had been voted down. Kuwabara and Yusuke had gleefully voted against him, and Kurama as well. And as much as Hiei might respect the latter and maintain that he was someone not to be trifled with, Hiei was honestly annoyed. Because they had already successfully stolen from the Spirit World once, and if they had managed to bypass _their_ security, then securing the artefacts from the mafioso was nothing. They did not even need the other two to do it. Hell, even Hiei himself would have been enough if he had not had to bother with subtlety.

So, Kurama was most certainly enjoying this. If he were not, then he too would have attempted to finish this quickly. Somewhat unexpected, all things considered; one would have expected him to want to get back to his human mother as soon as possible, especially now that there was no Demon Lord keeping him in the Demon World in exchange for his mother not ending up in an unfortunate ‘accident’.

Coming to think of it, what was that Yomi bastard doing these days? Mukuro no doubt kept track of her old rival, but she had not cared to share this information with Hiei, and Hiei in turn had not really cared enough to ask. Besides, if Hiei really cared to know, then he could find that much out for himself. He did not though, and even if he did, he would not be able to do it right now. His Jagan could see far and wide, but it could not see that far.

And now, there was no time to use his Jagan to test just how far and just how much he could see. Now, one had to use one’s physical strength and endurance. For a demon of his calibre, it was really child’s play though.

“Still feels like cheating though,” the buffoon grumbled, still breathing somewhat heavily from the eighty-kilometre run, proving that he had been slacking off in his training in recent months. “Ah, man, can you guys believe the nerve of that guy – Tonpa, was it? – trying to act all nice and then−”

The nerve, certainly. The fact that the buffoon had been about to fall for it was all the more unbelievable. Hadn’t he learned _anything_?

Hiei found himself thinking this as the buffoon kept getting tripped up like a bloody amateur, by people, beasts and rampaging wildlife alike.

“Reminds me a bit of Makai actually,” Kurama mused, and he was not wrong, exactly. Because certain bits and pieces were vaguely reminiscent of the Demon World, but in a way that was jarring and not particularly comfortable – for Hiei at any rate. He would much rather have had the real thing after all.

“Pretty cool,” Yusuke commented. “And awful.”

Hiei supposed that the detective might just be alluding to the people that had already gotten themselves killed, either by wildlife or by one of the other candidates. Most were just rabble however, leaving but a few individuals that registered as potential threats – not to Hiei himself perhaps, but to more fragile and less sensible human beings of their group.

Still, judging by how smoothly this Hunter Exam had gone so far, then maybe they would be able to finish this thing relatively quickly after all. Because, with his and Kurama’s combined skills and intellect, nothing really stood a chance if they actually became serious. Yusuke would have probably managed on his own, given his keen instincts. Kuwabara meanwhile? Well, it was a good thing for the fool that he had not been sent out on this mission on his own.

* * *

“Still feels like we’re cheating,” grumbled the buffoon. “I’m not complaining and all, but−”

If he wasn’t, then why did he bother bringing it up in the first place?

Hiei rolled his eyes whereas Kurama chuckled; the fox had been the one to suggest this plan in the first place. Because, given the task of getting to the bottom of some ‘Trick Tower’ within a set time frame and all, there had been two options; climbing down from the outside or going down through the inside.

The outer route would certainly have been quicker, and Hiei could have roasted one of those flying beasts and eaten it for lunch. But no, Kurama just had to remind them about Koenma’s instructions not to call unnecessary attention to themselves or display the true extent of their skill. Like it actually mattered or anything.

But, to the fox’s credit, Kurama did suggest a fast path to the exit that did not involve the use of rift-creating spiritual swords.

“If there are walls in the way, just smash ’em, eh?” Yusuke grinned, brushing some dust from his clothes. “So, how much time do we have left?”

Hearing just how much time was left, he added: “Well, there’s still time, but better to idle around down there than to stay here and risk losing track of time. Did anyone bring snacks?”

The number of hours left was substantial. In fact, it was so substantial that it was difficult to believe that they would have failed to make their way down even if they had effectively crawled their way to their destination and taken an hourlong break every ten metres or so.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

The next major part of the Hunter Exam – which already had a lot more parts than necessary – was, befittingly enough, a hunting game taking place on an uninhabited island over the course of a week – which was far too long obviously.

In any case, each examinee had been assigned a tag with a number, and in addition to that, they had been tasked with hunting someone that possessed a certain tag number. One’s own tag was worth three points and one’s target’s tag was worth three points, tallying up to the six points that were necessary in order to pass this portion of the exam. Suffice to say, it was simple enough – quite mundane, as a matter of fact.

“Oi, short stuff. Mind helping me out with finding my target?”

Hiei let out a scoff at that, because− “I’m not going to help you cheat. You wouldn’t shut up about it earlier.”

“Dude, what in the actual−?!”

“Hiei’s got a point actually,” Yusuke noted. “We can’t keep relying on him for everything. And Kurama, you as well.”

“If you say so,” the fox agreed, smiling that damned smile of his. “That said however, how about a compromise?”

Three sets of eyes focused on him. “A compromise?”

“Well…” Kurama said, interlacing his fingers. “By now, most people have hidden their tags, making them more difficult to locate. Therefore, to avoid needlessly attacking people besides our assigned targets, I’d like Hiei to provide a description of everyone’s targets before we split up.”

The fox was likely trying to give the buffoon a fair fighting chance. He himself had likely already identified his target after all.

In any case− “Give me the numbers.”

He did not care about the watchers.

* * *

The week passed without much ado. Of course, there was a whole lot going on in the vicinity, but Hiei hadn’t exactly bothered with all of that. Having located his target and retrieved the tag, there had been very little to do but wait and to think about what he would do once he finally got back to the Demon World. And other things on occasion.

“That buffoon fucked up again, didn’t he?”

Kurama smiled. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

Hiei scoffed, because he was not going to waste using his third eye for that. Because the things he could pick up through the fluctuations in spiritual energy had already told him more than enough.

“He got a tricky target,” Kurama said, leaning his head against the tree trunk. “But Yusuke’s helping him out, so we probably won’t have to step in.”

Even then, they did not really have to step in. Nobody had said that all of them had to make it through the Hunter Exam. Nobody had explicitly said that all of them had to survive it either, but Hiei supposed that one of them dying would make the rest of them look incompetent for failing to prevent it. Also, if the buffoon croaked, then Yukina might be sad, and Hiei would rather not have played any part in that.

“So,” Kurama said, tilting his head back to look up at him; because why bother sticking to the ground when resting on a tree branch was all that more practical? “Did you have any trouble with your target?”

Tch. Him? _Trouble?_ “Who do you think you’re talking to, fox?”

* * *

The final round of the Hunter Exam turned out to be a tournament, to the surprise of basically no one – no one that actually possessed a reasonably sized brain, that is.

The tournament was pretty lax too; you only needed one win in order to become a Hunter, and killing your opponent was not allowed – odd, considering how none of the hidden proctors had actually bothered to prevent any of the deaths taking place during the previous round.

But, as it was, with such lax rules in place, none of them would be forced to work very hard. As veterans of the Dark Tournament, how could any of them possibly fall here?

Of course, the level of difficulty was largely dependent on the opponent’s strength – and tenacity for that matter.

Before the tournament started however, they were each summoned to a talk with Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter’s Association. It was doubtlessly an attempt to sound out the candidates before arranging the matchups, and Hiei had no real reason to play along with this farce. Then again, he _had_ played along with it up until this point, so what was wasting a few more minutes on this?

“Sit down,” said the old man. Hiei could tell that, despite his age, he was fairly powerful. Granted, not as powerful as a high-ranked demon, but certainly powerful enough to give others a run for their money. Not all that bad – for a human, that is.

So, Hiei sat down, deciding he might as well get this thing over with.

“I’d like to ask a few questions to learn more about you,” said the old man, peering at him with obvious curiosity. “First of all, what made you want to become a Hunter?”

Hiei snorted, giving his answer after a moment of thought. “I’m looking for something. Having a proper licence should be useful for that.”

“Hoh…” The old man stroked his beard, peering at him with even more evident curiosity now. “Indeed, having an official Hunter licence does grant access to places and resources that regular civilians cannot reach. Then again, you’re not a regular civilian though, are you?”

The statement was as much of a musing as it was a challenge. The Hunters acting as proctors in the Hunter Exam had had their eyes on them for a while, which was really no wonder. Even though these people might not know exactly what they were looking at, they could obviously pick up on at least a hint of the power thrumming underneath.

And no, Hiei did not see the need to answer that particular question with anything beyond a snort, and going by the old man’s relaxed posture, there was no real need to either.

“Curious, but irrelevant at this point,” the old man said, leaning forward. “Among the other candidates, which one retains most of your attention?”

There was a handful of interesting people. Even so, Hiei’s number one had not changed.

The old man hummed, appearing mildly surprised by Hiei’s choice. “Hm, unexpected, yet also not. Well then, my last question: Among the other participants, which one would you like to fight the least?”

Again, Hiei’s number one had not changed. Kurama – despite his human leanings – remained a force to be trifled with, and an opponent that Hiei would rather not face. Besides, whether Hiei faced him or the detective or the buffoon, the result would be irrelevant; none of them would be able to display their true strength under these circumstances. In fact, it would not even qualify as an actual spar.

“Very good,” the old man said, clearly dismissing him. “You may leave.”

As if Hiei actually needed his permission.

* * *

“So,” Yusuke asked, leaning forward with a grin on his face. “Who’ll be my first opponent?”

Because why not ask, when Hiei could easily look up the matchups beforehand? Still− “What happened to not relying on my abilities?”

There was a bout of awkward laughter at that. “Well, you know,” the detective said at last. “When I got asked about who I wanted to fight, I kind of just blanked out and just said a number that came to mind, so… I’m not really sure who I might end up facing?”

Tch. “How is this my problem?”

“Aw, man, come on! I’m bored! I’m sick of playing cards and there’s nothing good on TV!”

Tch. Fool.

* * *

By the time that the actual tournament rolled around, Hiei felt rather sick and tired of it all. Granted, a significant part of it did have to do with his opponent for the first match.

“So, Hiei, it’s been a while since we faced one another, hasn’t it?”

Nowhere near long enough, in Hiei’s private opinion. It was a pain, but Hiei had already made his decision and fully intended on sticking to it.

Still, those Hunters overseeing the Hunter Exam sure had bad taste.

“I concede this match,” he snorted.

The fox actually had the audacity to look surprised, as if this had not been the obvious outcome from the get-go. “Hiei−”

 _“I concede!”_ Hiei snapped. “Now get out, you fox bastard.”

Kurama shot him a look and finally sighed. “Fine. I accept.”

Yeah, he better, because Hiei was not in the habit of conceding matches. However, as already mentioned, there was no real point in fighting his teammates; it would not be a proper spar and injuring them or getting injured himself served absolutely no purpose.

Besides, with Hiei’s clever thinking, the group already had what they came for: A professional Hunter licence.

“As ever, you’re such a softy on Kurama,” Yusuke commented, and the buffoon sniggered. “Shame we’re in a different bracket. I would’ve returned the favour.”

Tch. “Who’s done you any favours, fools.”

* * *

Predictably they had all made it out. The tournament’s design was to have only a single loser after all, and with some kid breaking the rules and killing another competitor, that effectively meant that the rest of them passed by pure virtue of not doing just that.

The kid could hardly help it though, given the circumstances.

Also, the guy he had killed had been kind of annoying, calling Hiei a kid and whatnot, so… not a terrible loss. Besides, it was not as though Hiei – or anyone else in the group – had formed particularly deep attachments to any of the other participants in the Hunter Exam, which was as it should be, really.

“So, what’s next?”

* * *

‘What’s next?’

In hindsight, he would have been better off not asking.

Because the answer, as it turned out, was that another bloody tournament was on the menu.

_“Welcooooooome to the Heavens Arena!”_

Hiei did not even bother hiding his disgust; he obviously did not have anything against fighting, and he obviously did not have anything against tournaments in particular, but he did have things against other people – humans or demons or anything really – making him waste precious time that he could have used to complete the mission and to get back to the Demon World as soon as demonly possible. Granted, he was not in that much of a hurry to return to his job patrolling the border in-between the Human World and the Demon World, but that shitty job in itself was not enough to dissuade him from his ambitions.

“It’s really not a bad idea though,” the fox mused while they watched the detective wrestle someone in the ring. “We could use more funds.”

Yeah, except for the fact that there were other ways of obtaining said funds, ways with which Hiei and the fox were intimately familiar.

And quite frankly, Hiei was nearing the end of his patience.

“It’s been weeks,” he said. “And unlike the rest of you buffoons, I actually have important business to get back to. It’s time to get this damned mission over with.”

“Oh,” Kurama said. “Must be hard to have such a busy schedule. But I guess solitary journeys do require some degree of timeliness…”

Tch. “Fine. One more week. After that I’m leaving.”

Kurama smiled.

* * *


	2. Heavens Arena

* * *

_Heavens Arena_ was a combat arena, and in addition to that, the fourth tallest building in the world. It was also the world’s most popular battle site, attracting a wide range of fighters from all over with its tournament system. Those who fought and emerged as victorious could not only advance to greater heights but also obtain even greater rewards.

At a height of 991 metres, Heavens Arena boasted a total of 251 floors, wherein thousands of martial artists and other fighters competed daily – some primarily to train and to test their skills, others primarily for the sake of monetary rewards. Naturally, it all made quite a spectacle, and a spectacle naturally attracted quite an audience. The number of spectators generally fluctuated depending on specific matchups. However, adding it all up, then the annual number of spectators easily exceeded one billion people.

In order to accommodate this many people, the tower was naturally equipped with the appropriate facilities. In addition to Heavens Arena being a fighting arena, it was also a hotel, and offered other places of leisure such as restaurants and shopping districts.

Of course, the same venues were not available on every floor; the higher floors naturally catered to the kind of people that could afford them.

The rules of in the fighting ring also differed. Below the 200th floor, the use of weapons of any kind was forbidden. Other than that, virtually any other means were allowed in order to obtain victory, even killing. However, killings were still relatively rare, seeing as to how both competitors had to agree beforehand that the match would not be finished until one of them had perished. Killing people without following proper protocol was a big no-no, basically.

Working as the main floor clerk on the 200th floor, the number of fighters one encountered directly was limited, as only a few, more dedicated fighters ever went above the 200th floor. And by few, that meant only a few hundred out of every thousand. Because, while fame and glory functioned as motivators for some, the prize money motivated many. And, seeing as to how no monetary reward was offered for advancing past the 200th floor, many did not. Some did not advance due to a lack of skill, others due to a lack of incentive, and others yet took their place as a Floor Master, gaining a floor in-between the 230th and 250th floor.

If they did not drop out of their own accord, then fighters being ousted by other fighters was the norm, especially if they stuck around for long. Losing four matches meant getting disqualified after all.

In any case, only encountering a relatively limited number of fighters at such a level did not mean that any worker on primarily active on the 200th floor or above was completely oblivious to the goings-on down below. Neither were those down below completely ignorant in regards to the goings-on above.

Other than the broadcasted matches, there was the gossip after all. Some of it consisted of direct observations from those working as referees, fight commentators and receptionists. Other gossip meanwhile stemmed from things overheard. Fighters tended to talk quite a bit amongst themselves after all, and many of them rarely paid any mind to any personnel that might overhear them.

As such, the group of four that had now appeared in front of her desk were hardly unexpected. They looked relatively young, but they were hardly the youngest that had ever made it up to this point. A couple of years back, there had allegedly been a white-haired six-year-old taking part in the tournament. If rumours were to be believed, then the kid had reached the 150th floor in just two months before hitting either a roadblock or losing some enthusiasm, considering how it had taken them about one year and ten months to advance from there to the 200th, at which point they had suddenly dropped out, without even bothering to register for any matches. Even so, they had to have been perfectly extraordinary, having accomplished such a feat at such a young age; a child of the infamous Zoldyck family, no doubt.

In any case− “Welcome to the 200th floor of Heavens Arena!”

The group before her consisted of first-timers, so she delivered her usual spiel. She explained the rules in a calm and professional manner, explaining how they should register for their upcoming fights and the deadlines and all that. Then, she got to the part about weapons.

At the mention of weapons, the shortest member of the group – Hiei, if memory served her right – gained a particular look on his face. It was mirrored, in part, in the faces of two of the others.

It was even partially mirrored by the young man filling out most of the paperwork – Kurama – whose matches she had most definitely not been watching and re-watching over the last couple of days. The other members of the group had put down their signatures but not much else; they were undoubtedly foreigners, most definitely from Jappon.

They were also doubtlessly skilled, having climbed steadily through the rankings without as much as a single loss to their name. In their case, it had not even been close; the matches that had not ended with a quick and clean KO had made it abundantly clear that the opponent was way out of their depth. The process was usually quick, and in Kurama’s case, astonishingly elegant.

As such, many had been looking forward to seeing the latter reach the 200th floor, wanting to see just how that elegance would be transmitted into a more challenging fight. Also, perhaps more so, many wondered just what would be the scarlet-haired fighter’s weapon of choice.

The interest in the other three was by no means as large, for obvious reasons – _aesthetical reasons._

“So, anything goes basically?” Kurama smiled, blinking with his large emerald eyes and subconsciously tucking a strand of that rich scarlet hair behind his ear. If anyone had claimed that he was a model, she would have most likely believed them. If anyone had claimed that he was a prince from some foreign land, she would have felt even more inclined to believe that.

He was pretty; pretty, polite and just… perfect. It was easy to see how he had managed to gain such a massive following in such a short amount of time. He was rather androgynous, perhaps, but no matter what gender one preferred, he was certainly pretty to look at. So much so that she had to remind herself to retain her aura of professionalism, and to simply look and not stare.

“Fox,” snapped one of the others; the short black-robed one with a sword that he was doubtlessly itching to use. “Stop wasting time.”

Fox; it was such an odd nickname. It was not a bad one though.

“Thank you for all the information, miss,” Kurama said, his smile turning somewhat apologetic. Then, out of nowhere, there was a red rose in his hand. “We will return to register for our next matches shortly.”

She spent a long moment just staring dumbly at the flower being offered to her, not really believing it was actually there. Then she gingerly took it and held it while watching the group walk away.

A Conjurer? No, maybe Manipulator?

In any case−

She quickly put the thing away, making sure not to squish it. She would take the time to admire it later, and perhaps even brag about it to some of the others. Hm…

“Welcome to the 200th floor of Heavens Arena!”

* * *

Being on the 100th floor and above technically came with the privilege of having a private room. However, that in itself did not necessarily mean that they had to use them all; being alone was kind of boring after all.

This had by no means changed as they reached the 200th floor. Some of them might decide to head off to their room to chill every once in a while, but during waking hours, they usually hung out together anyways.

“You sure like cosying up with those Arena workers, don’t you?” Yusuke laughed, sitting cross-legged down on the floor in one of their assigned rooms.

Kurama simply shrugged, in a similar position himself. “I simply didn’t see the need to be rude. Besides, it was also a test.”

“A test?” Kuwabara echoed.

“Right…” Yusuke said, thinking hard, going by the concentrated look on his face. “To check whether or not the clerk reacted your _yōki_ , right?”

Kurama smiled. “Exactly. She didn’t.”

“She didn’t recognise it as _yōki_ ,” Hiei corrected. “She thought it was _Nen_.”

_“Nen?”_

Hiei let out an exasperated sigh. “This world’s equivalent of spirit energy. Knowing it is allegedly a requirement for being a Hunter.”

“Well, I guess we really lucked out then,” Yusuke said, giving Kuwabara and Kurama both an affectionate pat on the back; Hiei was over by the window, out of reach for now. “Would you say that this _Nen_ thing is included in the anything goes?”

Most certainly, considering the whole ‘anything goes’ thing.

“Guess we’re about to find out,” Kuwabara muttered, snatching up the TV remote.

* * *

This whole ancient relic retrieval mission was taking a whole lot longer than initially expected. Kurama did not mind though; not much at any rate.

Hiei however was growing increasingly impatient – which was understandable, all things considered.

Kuwabara and Yusuke appeared to be too caught up in everything to mind much, but at times, Kurama noticed them sitting or lying while staring into the distance. They were undoubtedly getting homesick, whether they were aware of it or not.

But Kurama was aware of it, and aware of his own longing as well. However, at the same time, he found this world strangely comfortable, especially since he had cracked the code to the writing system most commonly in use. The spoken language was not and had never really proven much of an issue; the languages they had encountered so far generally sounded like varieties of languages he already knew, which was not all that strange, considering this world’s occasional similarities to the Human World back home.

But there were differences too; major differences. Here he would probably be able to live his life out as a human without having to hide his ability to manipulate plants; Nen did seem like some kind of secret, but it seemed to be a fairly ill-kept one, especially in places like these. Or, rather, while the masses might not know exactly what Nen was, the general consensus seemed to be that Hunters – who were required to learn Nen – were capable of extraordinary feats, and one could never really know what they were truly capable of.

It was interesting, to say the least – almost liberating, in a sense. Unfortunately, this was not home, no matter how comfortable he found it at times. Besides, it was also rife with politics and cruelty that Kurama would rather not get involved in. Out of the four of them, he was likely the only one who read up on what having a Hunter licence really entailed, most likely because he was the most proficient at understanding and using the local writing system.

In any case, there were always interesting things to read up on, and for the right price, it was possible to obtain reliable information.

The Hunters’ Tavern, a website run by the Hunter Association, provided such a service, and Kurama saw no real reason not to make use of it.

Some of the information was provided for free however, and the Hunter Bylaws were among them.

In total, there were ten of them, but only three held any greater relevance to Kurama and the others:

Firstly, as the name implied, a Hunter always had to be on the hunt for something. This manifested into different types of Hunters – like those that hunted for rare artefacts, rare plants, rare animals and even people – the latter was a type of bounty hunter called Blacklist Hunter.

Secondly, there was the requirement of knowing some degree of martial arts, which – as Hiei had already pointed out – included learning Nen.

Thirdly, there was the fourth bylaw, which stated that Hunters should not target other Hunters unless the latter had committed heinous crimes. As for what exactly would be regarded as ‘heinous crimes’, that was apparently determined on a case to case basis. Because in practice, those possessing a Hunter Licence enjoyed the benefit of virtually no legal responsibility, even in the case of murder.

Not that Kurama – or any of the others – were actually planning on making use of that. But it certainly did not hurt to know the rules of the game beforehand.

Knowing that having a Hunter Licence enabled one to use ninety-five percent of all public facilities at no cost and for them to be provided at first class however, that was something genuinely useful. So was knowing that a Hunter Licence granted access to virtually all countries, even those with very restricted travel regulations.

“Oh, look,” said Kuwabara. “The matchups are getting announced.”

Kurama looked up just in time to see a glimpse of himself before his next opponent came into view.

“Guess Kurama’s first one out then,” Yusuke said. “Gotta show them what kind of level to expect from the rest of us, right?”

There was a crow of agreement from Kuwabara and a disdainful scoff from Hiei.

Kurama meanwhile just smiled.

* * *

The 200th floor evidently catered to a slightly different crowd than those below. With all due likelihood, most of the people here did not keep much track of the competitors on the floors down below. This was a reasonable conclusion, going by the looks and jeers that came not just from his opponent but from parts of the audience as well. He was clearly being underestimated; it was hardly the first time either, but−

With a scream, his opponent was flung out of bounds, courtesy of Kurama’s Rose Whip. Kurama had not seen the need to injure him beyond a few shallow cuts here and there. He was perfectly capable of showing off without inflicting grievous bodily injury.

For a brief moment, there was silence. Even the commentators were stunned silent.

The silence did not last for particularly long however.

“And the winner, Kurama!” shouted the main commentator, and the crowd roared.

Even then however, Kurama could pick up on Yusuke’s and Kuwabara’s cheers from the side lines. Hiei was not in sight, but probably lurking somewhere. His match was up next after all.

* * *

Freed from the constricts of not using weapons, Hiei had been quick to use his sword and speed, knocking around his sword-wielding opponent with evident ease before knocking him right out.

Then there was Kuwabara, who had immediately whipped out his Spirit Sword.

Finally, there was Yusuke, who had immediately used his Spirit Gun, though obviously adjusting the strength to an appropriate level.

In any case, commentators and audience alike seemed to be having a field day. Some of them – those that were knowledgeable about Nen – seemed to be trying to figure out the which type of Nen user they were.

Kuwabara was theorised to be a Transmuter, someone who had an affinity for Transmutation Type Nen, since he could alter the shape of his aura into a tangible sword of light – which was fair enough, really.

Yusuke meanwhile was theorised to be an Emitter, someone who had an affinity for Emission Type Nen; a good guess, since this type of Nen users was apparently proficient in separating their aura from their body and using it for things similar to what Yusuke was doing with his Spirit Gun.

As for Kurama itself, public opinion was split. Most seemed to want to categorise him as a Manipulator, someone with an affinity for Manipulation Type Nen, since this type of Nen would grant the user control of things, animate or inanimate. But there were also some that thought of him as a Conjurer, someone with an affinity to use their aura to create physical, independent objects, or as a Specialist, someone with a Specialisation Type Nen which was basically anything that did not fit squarely into the other Nen categories.

Personally, Kurama had to agree with the majority on this one – for the most part, at least. He was primarily a manipulator of plants after all.

And finally, there was Hiei, whose affinity nobody really seemed to be able to agree upon. The demon in question could hardly seem to care less though.

“Found one. It’s close.”

Oh.

* * *

“So,” asked Kuwabara. “Where to next?”

They had already earned enough money and tested themselves against the opposition, getting an approximate idea of what kind of level they might expect to face in the future. And, just now, they had managed to find and retrieve one of the items that they had been tasked to find.

And now, they had a map in front of them, discussing plans on where to go next.

“We should go to Jappon,” Yusuke mused. “For the sake of comparison.”

One of Hiei’s eyebrows gave a noticeable twitch at that.

“I think we should go to this place,” Kurama said, pointing to the eastern part of the Yorbian Continent. “Yorknew City.”

 _“Yorknew City?”_ Kuwabara frowned. “Don’t you mean New York?”

“Sweet,” Yusuke said. “I’ve never been to New York.”

It was not New York. But it seemed to be this world’s equivalent of New York, so… fair enough?

“It’s famous for its black-market auctions,” Kurama said. “The major ones are at the beginning of September, but we obviously don’t have time to wait for that…” He paused, glancing at Hiei. “You did say that one of them was in the hands of mafia, right?”

Of course, there were mafia strongholds all over, going by the information that Kurama had bought from the Hunter website. However, during the Hunter Exam, Hiei had consistently indicated a direction that – going by the map – would likely be either in or relatively close to Yorknew City. With any luck, that is.

“Alright then,” Yusuke said, thoughtful. “How do we get there?”

Kurama looked at Kuwabara. So did Hiei. And soon Yusuke as well.

“Oh, right!” Yusuke laughed. “Dimension Sword!”

“Dude!” Kuwabara sputtered. “I’ve already told you I’m not used to that thing! What the heck makes you guys believe that I−”

“Well…” Yusuke scratched his neck. “I guess making one to jump across continents is a bit much. So, Pu, can we count on you for a lift?”

Yusuke’s spirit beast, who had up until then been roaming wherever, lifted its head, blinking.

“Yeah, let’s get the fuck out of here!” Kuwabara said. “I keep having nightmares about that creepy clown guy.”

“Creepy clown guy?” Yusuke blinked. “Ah, you mean that Hisoka guy from the exam?”

“Why hello there~” said the aforementioned ‘creepy clown guy’, stepping out from behind a pillar of the ruin they had left just a short while ago. “Are you guys planning on leaving already? But I just got here~”

Kuwabara let out a strangled sound and even Yusuke jumped, indicating that neither had been aware of the guy’s approach – which was really saying something in Kuwabara’s case, considering the guy’s relative sensitivity to spirit force.

Hiei however obviously had, and Kurama – who had been keeping an eye on Hiei – had really found out that way. This meant that the Hunter was rather skilled indeed, capable of hiding his blood-thirsty aura for this long.

Because Kurama remembered it just as well as the rest of them probably did; the feel of this Hisoka guy’s aura as it had flared up back at the hunting part of the Hunter Exam. And Kurama could hardly have been the only one to be somewhat surprised to discover that Gon – the contestant who had ended up with Hisoka as his target – had still shown up at the end of the exam, somewhat bruised but still in one piece and with Hisoka’s number tag as well as his own.

However, this in itself was also rather telling of just what type of character this Hisoka was: a manipulative, self-serving, self-absorbed sadomasochist with an insatiable love for fighting and killing powerful opponents, excitable when finding new potential marks.

In essence, he was a murderous sociopath primarily concerned about his present and future enjoyment, and he had clearly marked them down as potential future – or present – opponents.

Kurama was unwillingly reminded of Karasu; it was not a very pleasant reminder.

Also, while the fourth Hunter bylaw explicitly forbade from Hunters targeting other Hunters save for when the latter had committed heinous crimes, Kurama was under no delusion that this Hisoka guy would actually consider following this particular bylaw if it went against his immediate interests. This was the guy who had pretty much attacked a proctor after all.

This matter would have to be handled delicately; that was for certain. However−

“Unfortunately, that is the case,” Kurama said. “So…”

The deranged killer tilted his head. “So~?”

Hiei’s _Dragon of the Darkness Flame_ flared up, and Hisoka was immediately entranced by it.

“Aw, shit,” Yusuke said. “Pu, get us out of here!”

* * *


	3. Things and People Best to be Avoided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Illustration by lokineko

* * *

Having once again failed the Hunter Exam, Rookie Crusher Tonpa had quite a bit of time to kill before the next one rolled around. However, he obviously had to make a living in the months up until it was time to start the next one, and making a living occasionally involved a bit of travelling.

As such, Tonpa was on a blimp, contemplating ways in which he would be able to stay afloat financially until the start of the next Hunter Exam, because while at the Hunter Exam, one did not really have a whole lot to worry about in terms of having a place to stay and all that. In fact, Tonpa was so into his musings that it took him quite a while to notice the abnormally sized blue bird creature flying outside the window.

But once he did see it, he was not late in jumping up and over to the window, because that bird did not look like anything he had ever seen before, in these parts or otherwise.

A stray thought occurred that someone should probably report it in. Beast Hunters would no doubt be interested; maybe they would even consider offering up some monetary compensation? Those damned Hunters typically had quite a bit of money to their name after all.

However, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind before it disappeared altogether, replaced by a massive WTF. Because Tonpa, much like other passengers, had noticed it now; the fact that this seemingly wild beast was in fact carrying not just one but four people on its back. And those passengers were familiar too; Tonpa immediately ducked down, because he had made the mistake of approaching one of them before and he was most certainly not about to do it again. The risk was simply too high.

“Look, it’s a huge bird!” some innocent soul – a child – exclaimed.

“Wow, there’s people riding on it!” another innocent soul added. “Oh look, they’re waving at us!”

Gritting his teeth, Tonpa kept his head down low well beyond the point when the immediate danger had passed. Only then did he straighten back up, rubbing at his aching back as he did so. Damn, maybe he really was getting too old for this. Maybe after the next Hunter Exam, he would try to settle down. With any luck, he would make it far enough through the exam to settle down with a newly issued Hunter Licence to his name.

In any case, this year’s Rookie Hunters? They were certainly something alright – something best to be avoided, in Tonpa’s private opinion.

That said however, one simply could not help but wonder what would eventually become of those freaks of nature. They were most likely planning something after all, and armed with their recently acquired Hunter licences, they could do a whole lot more than the average joe.

Not that it was any of Tonpa’s business though. In fact, he figured that he would much rather not know.

However, things did not always work out according to one’s wishes and expectations, and this case was no exception.

“Ah, those little rascals! They certainly don’t do things by halves,” Tonpa found himself saying to himself just a few weeks later, laughing a bit at the newspaper article in front of him. “Breaking into the mansions of mafia dons and even royalty to rummage through their safes? Freaking unbelievable!”

It was undeniably reckless too, especially considering how they were doing it not just under the protection of darkness but out in plain daylight as well. It was as though they had completely lost whatever sense of self-preservation they might have had while making their way through the Hunter Exam. Or maybe they had never had any real sense – common sense or sense of self-preservation – in the first place? Maybe they had only really taken part in the Hunter Exam in order to obtain a licence and with that access to the vast amount of information listed on the Hunter Association’s website?

They had even had the gall to name themselves, presumably to prevent others from doing so. Apparently, they were calling themselves _Team Urameshi_ , which made about as much sense as their recent actions – that is to say virtually none. It was likely an inside joke of some sort; that redhead Kuwabara had referred to the leader of their group as such after all. Some sort of nickname perhaps?

Tonpa, having little else to do, had casually commented on this to some guy he had encountered on the way to his next destination. The guy – who was from Jappon – had scoffed mildly, either at him or at the topic of conversation. Judging by what came after, Tonpa felt inclined to believe the latter.

“Those people are giving my native Jappon a bad name,” he scoffed, but all in all, he seemed more pensive than reproving. “What did you say their names were?”

Tonpa repeated the names he could recall. Back then, he had made sure to commit them to memory, if only to decrease the risk of ever running into them again. These days however, he was a bit more ambivalent in that regard.

“Those are most likely aliases,” the traveller said, uncrossing and recrossing his legs. “As for what they mean, that depends largely on whichever signs are used. I can however tell you this: ‘Kurama’ likely comes from 暗ます (‘kuramasu’), which means to hide or deceive. ‘Hiei’ meanwhile is likely formed by the signs 飛影, and means ‘flying shadow’. Rather appropriate names for a couple of thieves, don’t you think?”

Well, thieves or assassins, technically. Tonpa had to try very hard to resist a sudden urge to reach up to his neck, where that Hiei brat’s blade had once been. That Killua brat at the exams had certainly been scary in his own right, but this one? This one made Tonpa want to cower and pray for deliverance.

“As for the other two, well, ‘Kuwabara’ would likely be written as ‘mulberry field’, however, there is another, alternate meaning. In my home country, saying ‘kuwabara, kuwabara’ is used as a means to ward off ghosts.”

Ghosts?

“And, speaking of ghosts, that ‘Yusuke’ person, whose name is most likely ‘Yūsuke’… His name can be written using various signs, but going on the assumption that it is a clever alias, then it might just be a combination of 幽 (‘yū’) from 幽霊 (‘yūrei’), which means ghost, and 助 (‘suke’), which means ‘helper’ or ‘assistant’. In other words, it is entirely possible that his name translates to ‘Ghost Helper’.”

Tonpa scratched his head, because, well, this went way over his head. “And ‘Urameshi’?”

The traveller made a face. “It could be ‘Urameshi’ as in 浦 (‘ura’), which means ‘inlet’ or ‘beach’, combined with ‘meshi’. That word though… what first comes to mind is 飯 (‘meshi’), which means ‘meal’ or ‘cooked rice’, but honestly, a name like ‘beach meal’ makes no sense. There is however a much more likely interpretation of ‘Urameshi’: It likely comes from 恨めしい (‘urameshii’) or 怨めしい (‘urameshii’).”

Tonpa swallowed, because while the words were foreign, the tone used implied that the words themselves were not particularly pleasant. “What does it mean?”

“It is closely related to 恨む (‘uramu’), which means ‘to bear a grudge’ or ‘to resent’. In other words, ‘Team Urameshī’ likely stands for ‘Team Resentful’. Considering their targets, they’re most likely on some sort of revenge quest. Most likely, the mafia hired someone to steal from someone close to some of them, and that person or multiple persons ended up dead, and so… avenger time.”

Uwa, scary if it was true though. It most likely was not however, because the body count was far too low for that.

“Those first two guys, ‘Hiei’ and ‘Kurama’, those guys are most likely some sort of pros. I’d say they were either hired by the others or assigned to them as chaperons.”

Tonpa tried imagining it. On one hand, he could almost see it. On the other hand though, well, it did not really matter now, did it?

Because in either case, the powers that be were obviously not impressed – Well, some of them were, but not necessarily in a good way. Those bounties that had been put out on them were looking quite hefty indeed.

It was tempting, yes, but Tonpa was a man that was at least reasonably aware of his own limits. He knew that he would not stand a chance against them. At best, if he was at the right place at the right time, he might just be able to secure a few breadcrumbs while more skilled people – professionals – dealt with them. What if he, by some miracle, managed to secure one of their Hunter Licences? If so, then he would not just be set for life; he would be set for generations!

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not worth it,” said the traveller, looking out at the rising moon.

* * *

Meanwhile, about half a continent away, Kuwabara used his t-shirt to wipe cold sweat away from his face. “Geez, this place sucks,” he muttered. “Urameshi.”

Yusuke wordlessly handed over a water bottle. By now, this was familiar routine, as it had been going on since the Hunter Exam.

“What was it this time?” he asked, because apparently, talking about things helped. It was better than dwelling on things on one’s own at any rate.

Kuwabara exhaled slowly and then downed bottle in one go, wiping excess water from his mouth using the back of his hand. “Nothing,” he said. “Just fucking nightmares about people getting attacked and eaten by an army of giant ants.”

Well, that was certainly a new one, but definitely not the strangest out of the bunch. “Do you think it’s an omen of what’s about to come?”

“How the Hell should I know?” Kuwabara huffed, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “I sure hope not. The thought gives me the hives. Where are the others?”

Yusuke could only shrug mildly in response, because− “They went out somewhere. Didn’t even leave a note.”

Kuwabara let out a snort at that. “Well, if they decided to do some thieving without us, then I’m not complaining. I mean, it’s not like becoming a thief was something I had planned on at the start of this mission.”

“You’ve done a great job though,” Yusuke mused out loud, because that much was definitely true. “With Hiei’s tracking, Kurama’s strategies and your Dimension Sword, we’re all set.”

“Oh yeah?” Kuwabara said. “And what do you bring to the table?”

Yusuke smiled, not really taking offence. Because such thoughts had definitely occurred to him from time to time in recent months. And yes, it had been months. To think that this damned mission would end up taking this damned long?

Well, to be perfectly honest, Yusuke himself had been mostly fine. The others meanwhile, well, they each had their circumstances.

The Hunter Exam had been interesting for sure; violent for sure, but interesting as well. And this had been an exam arranged by humans for humans.

Like Kurama had said, this world was oddly reminiscent of the Demon World. But it also carried definite similarities to the Human World, and not just the names of cities and certain landmarks. It was a strange mixture.

Heavens Arena had been a blast however.

But even relatively fun things had to come to an end eventually. And now that they had started their relic retrieval operation in earnest, they could only really keep at it and get as many of them as possible as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this was proven easier said than done once the mafia and other interested parties had gotten involved.

Or, to be specific, until the above had gone after Yusuke and the rest due to them stealing items those people considered theirs.

All in all, the group’s previous experiences at both the Hunter Exam and Heavens Arena had served as very good preparation to deal with the resistance that would inevitably come. Because one simply could not pick a fight with the upper echelons of the criminal underworld and expect to be left alone afterwards.

It simply did not happen.

“Seriously though, where are those guys at? Didn’t even leave a note…”

* * *

Speaking about differences and similarities, they did end up visiting Jappon at one point.

It had been a brief and rather outlandish experience, and they had left in a hurry, since the local leading faction had not really appreciated them turning up to steal the mysterious artefact they had discovered and put on display.

Seriously though, the Spirit World ought to keep a better eye on their shit. Like sure, this time around, there had been extenuating circumstances and all, but in the future, Yusuke was of the opinion that the protections for spiritual artefacts – whether ancient or otherwise – really ought to be strengthened. And the others definitely shared said opinion, so−

“So, where to next?”

* * *

All in all, they had made pretty good progress in locating and retrieving the lost artefacts. In fact, they would soon have a complete set and be able to go home, which was a relief, let’s be perfectly honest about that.

However, as ever, there were complicating factors. Some of the pursuers had proven very persistent.

“That guy doesn’t give up, does he? Fucking creep.”

There were noises of agreement from all around.

“We should kill him,” Hiei said. “It’ll no doubt save us from future headaches.”

He had a point; Yusuke was willing to admit that. Still, the guy was a human – a creepy deranged sociopath endowed with strong Nen abilities and a malfunctioning moral compass, sure, but a human nonetheless. As such, killing him outright simply due to his persistence was a bit… you know?

Yusuke turned his attention to the others, seeking their support.

But Kuwabara and Kurama looked as though they were seriously considering Hiei’s suggestion.

Pu meanwhile simply cooed.

“It’s pretty amazing he keeps finding us so often and so quickly though,” Kurama mused out loud.

“It’s not amazing, it’s scary!” Kuwabara insisted.

Both were correct, in a manner of speaking.

“And now there’s another one,” Hiei dryly remarked. “We should kill them both before they multiply further.”

Yusuke levelled him with a look. “Hiei…”

Hiei glared right back at him like _he_ was the one in the wrong.

* * *

In this world, there were different types of bounty hunters. Some of them were actual Hunters: Blacklist Hunters. Others were regular bounty hunters and opportunists, the odd assassin and even the occasional madman – in other words, Hisoka.

Yusuke had met his fair share of madmen in the past, but he was pretty sure that he would never forget this guy, because he was very memorable and not for anything good.

Lately, this Hisoka guy had also been seen in the company of one of the assassins. They could not quite be said to be cooperating as much as they seemed to attempt staying out of each other’s way. They clearly knew one another though; maybe they were even friends. They were both undeniably dangerous however, and as such, they were avoided as much as humanly – and demonly – possible.

The assassin had no doubt been hired by someone after all – several _someones_ , most likely. Kurama had said the assassin in question was from a certain family of assassins, the Zoldycks. Because apparently, assassination could be a bit of a family business in these parts, and a rather lucrative one as well, no doubt.

Anyways− “Hiei, how are we doing on the treasure hunt?”

Because, fun and interesting as this experience might have been at times, it was really, really time to start hurrying the fuck up. Because getting back was a priority, for him as well as for everyone else.

Keiko was waiting for him after all, and most likely quite sick of it as well; she would scold him terribly no doubt. But being scolded was fine; Yusuke had missed her terribly after all.

Hiei had his eyes closed and his Jagan activated, his headband slightly lifted as he searched for their next target. It took about half a minute, but then, he opened his eyes and pointed, rattling off an approximate distance.

“Great,” Yusuke said, grinning. “Let’s get on with it, guys!”

“Yeah!” Kuwabara echoed, while Kurama nodded, obviously satisfied.

Hiei meanwhile just scoffed, tugging his headband back down. “No need to remind us, you fool.”

* * *


	4. A Place Best to be Avoided

* * *

Isaac Netero was the twelfth chairman of the Hunter Association. Despite his old age, he was also rather powerful – perhaps not quite as vigorous as in his youth, but still strong enough to give most – that is to say all – Hunters and Hunter hopefuls a run for their money.

Over the years, he had met many people and seen many things – some of them pleasant, others far less pleasant, and others yet downright unpleasant.

As the Head of the Exam Commission, hosting the 287th Hunter Exam, Netero had naturally expected to see a lot of interesting things. Because with such a starting field, how could he not? And he had not been the only one either, oh no.

There had been plenty of new faces, some of them more interesting than others.

Two groups of four – all of them newcomers – had been exceptionally interesting.

The first group had harboured one Gon Freecss, who was the son of Double-Star Ruins Hunter Ging Freecss, the current Boar of the Zodiac. That alone would have been reason to keep an eye on the boy, who had chosen to challenge the Hunter Exam at such a young age. However, even more interesting had been the company the boy had been keeping.

Killua Zoldyck, third child of infamous assassin Silva Zoldyck and runaway heir to the Zoldyck Family.

Kurapika, the last survivor of the Kurta Clan. And yes, Netero was well aware of this fact, and he was likely not the only one amongst the senior Hunters that had recognised the boy’s traditional garb. An avenger, no doubt, on the hunt for the killers of his clan or for his clan’s stolen eyes – though both seemed rather likely, especially given recent reports from Izunavi.

Netero vaguely remembered hearing news of the Kurta massacre five years prior; to think that it had been five years already. He had always found the practice of collecting body parts – especially those harvested from the living or freshly deceased – rather untasteful. However, as the Chairman of the Hunter Association, he was hardly oblivious to the existence of said practice either, or to the fact that there were those among the ranks of Hunters that took part in the trade – perhaps not in the role of collectors, but certainly in the role of acquirers.

No, no, Netero was hardly oblivious to any of that, and neither was he oblivious to the potential value of the young man who had taken it upon himself to avenge his clan. Not that Netero himself – or the Hunters that had been acting as proctors – held that sort of interests. However, when speaking of value, then it could be said that the boy was worth far more alive than dead, not just as a specimen with the famed Scarlet Eyes but as a living practitioner of the Kurta culture. Interestingly enough, said clan’s tradition of keeping to themselves and away from outsiders had also served to protect him, seeing as to how it had severely limited the number of outsiders that would be able to identify a member of the Kurta by their clothes alone.

Finally, completing the group of four, there had been Leorio Paradinight, who was by no means as exceptional as any of the others, but certainly interesting in his own right. One could not help but wonder what would eventually become of him though.

But that had just been the first interesting group of four. Then there had been the other one.

Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, Yusuke.

They had obviously received training, and they were obviously used to working together; their easy cooperation and coordination during the different stages of the Hunter Exam had definitely proven that. Certainly, there had seemed to be some friction, that kind of thing was thrilling in itself, no?

And, speaking of thrills− “Hoh?” Netero hummed, stroking his beard. “Interesting.”

Hearing that the aforementioned batch of newly minted Hunters had allegedly embarked on something of a heist spree fell well within Netero’s private expectations. They had all brought it up during the private interview after all; that they were looking for something.

And they seemed to be finding it too, judging by the items that had started disappearing from vaults and other supposedly secure locations.

Naturally, it had only a question of time before certain requests had been made. Netero had had no real reason to humour them however; stealing might technically be illegal, but it did not exactly qualify as a heinous crime, merely a reckless one. Besides, with all four of them possessing Hunter licences, that did give them a fair bit of protection, legally speaking. After all, if the Hunter Association decided to start cracking down on something as pesky as a bit of larceny, then it would obviously have to start cracking down on a significant part of its current membership. Netero might not be proud of the fact, but when it came to being a Hunter and being a criminal, one did not necessarily exclude the other. Besides, laws and such were created by people after all, and could be changed by people just the same. Also, he had a feeling that the group had a decent enough reason for their recent escapades. Furthermore, while they had evidently decided to antagonise the criminal underworld, they had largely limited themselves to larceny and occasionally some property damage. Had they been killing people to the left and right, then Netero would most likely have had to face some rather uncomfortable inquiries.

Granted, Netero had been a bit less pleased when he had learned that the group had apparently decided to embark on an expedition to the Dark Continent. Because Netero himself had explicitly banned such endeavours.

At the same time though, he figured it would probably be fine, because of intuition and whatnot.

In addition, Netero figured that them leaving the Known World for a bit was probably a wise decision. A pursuit was unlikely to continue beyond that particular borderline after all.

It would be pretty fun if the group came back from that though; maybe they would even agree to swap stories with him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a certain part of the landmass otherwise known as the Dark Continent, Kuwabara Kazuma gave voice to his frustrations. “Fuck this shit!” he shouted. “I thought the last place was bad, but this one is definitely worse! I’m out! I’m over this! I’m going home!”

That last place had definitely had its issues, but this? This was a goddamned hellscape.

Even that Hiei – who was typically all high and mighty and cool as a cucumber – was looking a bit queasy after that last bit. Or was that merely Kazuma’s imagination? Nah.

“Guys!” someone shouted.

“What?!” Kazuma shouted back, hacking furiously at the creatures. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

“We got it!” Urameshi shouted, and Kazuma beat back the creatures just enough to chance a brief glance in his direction to confirm that yes, Urameshi had indeed obtained the last item of this godforsaken treasure hunt.

“Well great!” Kazuma shouted, immensely invigorated. “People, get your asses over here! One Dimension Sword coming right up!”

* * *

At the beginning of September, at around the same time as the Southernpiece Auction was about to unfold in Yorknew City in the United States of Saherta on the Yorbian Continent, a very strange light phenomenon could be seen in the northern parts of the Known World. In some of the northernmost parts, it was alleged that the lights could not only be seen but felt, and that strange creatures moved in them; some spoke of dragons, others of phoenixes.

Odds were that the sightings of the latter were just hallucinations though, possibly triggered by those unusual lights. Naturally, an investigation was launched, but it was ultimately inconclusive.

* * *


	5. Epilogue

* * *

Exhausted, irritated, and determined to never ever do the Spirit World another favour, the gang arrived back in the Human World after dropping off the items at the Gates of Judgement. Hiei would much rather have gone right back to Demon World, but somehow, they had all ended up at Genkai’s place.

As for how they ended up doing an impromptu ramen and barbecue fest, well, that was really anyone’s guess.

“Honestly,” Keiko said. “What took you guys so long?”

How she and the others had arrived there before any of them was also anyone’s guess. Then again, one really did not need to guess: Botan had obviously let them know about the gang’s imminent return, giving them the time to acquire the necessary ingredients and equipment as well as time to make their way out to Genkai’s old place, seeing as to how it was a fair bit of a distance from Sarayashiki.

So, the impromptu ramen and barbeque fest had definitely been their idea; a welcome party of sorts. And it was a welcome one too.

“Trust me, Keiko,” Yusuke said, around a mouthful of beef. “You don’t want to know.”

“Trust me, Yukina,” said his friend at the same time. “It was a crazy place! We went through things thing called the Hunter Exam, and then we−”

As her younger brother launched into a somewhat chaotic account of just what they had been up to over there, Kuwabara Shizuru turned to Kurama and lifted her eyebrow.

“It certainly was an experience,” Kurama said. “The latter half was quite stressful however.”

There was a scoff from above. Determined not to socialise any more than absolutely necessary, Hiei had found himself a tall branch. It was actually a surprise that he had not left yet.

“So,” Yusuke said, after the others had been given a basic – and somewhat censored – rundown of the events. “Anything interesting happen while we were gone?”

“Nah, just the usual,” Shizuru said, and then paused in the midst of pulling out a cigarette. “Oh, wait, I guess you guys don’t know about that thing yet.”

There was a collective blink at that, as well as a collective squint. “What thing?”

Looks were exchanged, and Shizuru lit herself a cigarette. “The prisonbreak.”

“What prisonbreak?”

“Remember those fanatic cultist insurgents that you dealt with before?”

_“Are you fucking kidding me?!”_

* * *

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Hello, the Airship](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28002138) by [LokiNeko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiNeko/pseuds/LokiNeko)




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